Good Talk
by that part always worked
Summary: Jess stumbles across a familiar face on his favorite bench.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any part of the GG world**

"Are we going to talk about it?"

Rory was looking over the man whose chest she was laying on. As far as the etiquette for one-night stands went, she was sure that the ex-boyfriend that had the most complicated involvement in her life was the worst possible choice. In hindsight. The 'during' was definitely the best experience she could have ever wished for.

Rory traced circles on Jess' skin and he was running his own fingers on her shoulder. He wasn't the lean boy that he used to be, he had literal hair on his chest now that she was navigating. She didn't want to leave this moment. This was the night never happened all those years ago, and yet she was glad that this was the first time between them. Although neither of them knew what it meant.

"Rory, we don't have the greatest history of talking about things like this." Jess stated without evasiveness, just honesty.

"Would you ever want to do it again?" She asked in a small voice, still speaking down at his chest and not to his face.

"It would be weird to enthusiastic right? I should be cool and something like "yeah, sure, whatever" or shrug, right?" Jess voiced the last part is a monosyllabic grunt that would have made his 18 year old self proud.

Rory smiled into him and looked up to see Jess smiling down at her.

"How enthusiastic?"

Jess pulled her back to lay on top of him and Rory gave a squeal and then a giggle.

"Let me express to you a few things, Ms. Gilmore. It might clear your mind." Then Jess went to work on filling Rory with unwavering happiness and she forgot that they ever had such painful history for a few more hours.

* * *

"You WHAT?"

"I slept with Jess last night. The first time was an accident but the second time was-" Rory began.

"There were multiple instances?!" Lorelai gasped into her phone with both shock and pride.

"I don't know what any of it means, and we didn't get a chance to talk much this morning because he had to go back to Philadelphia early. I'm not sure what I'm hoping will happen now. I just know it sucked watching him leave this morning."

"I-Well, you did it, you broke Mommy's brain. You slept with Jess, twice. You haven't talked to him about it yet, but you miss him. I didn't even know you two were _talking_ to each other. Though I suppose talking wouldn't have to be involved." Lorelai was pacing her living room opening and closing her mouth like a guppy.

"Mom, do you think I should call him and talk to him about it? I mean we never really see each other anymore, this was sort of a fluke. I'm worried that if I wait too long it will end like it always does for us."

"You're worried? Okay. So, you slept with Jess. More than once, which means that you both felt it was worth repeating. He had to leave this morning to drive to work, but he spent the night with you anyway. You were sad to see him leave and now you are worrying about things ending badly? AND you called me the next morning, which means you are concerned enough to deal with my opinions on the guy. I really really really hate to say this, but kid; I think you still hold a torch for him. It's up to you, if you feel like it was just for nostalgia's sake that you two got carried away, or if this is something you want to pursue." Lorelai was reeling from the information but was trying not to sway Rory away from Jess in case it would cause a rift between them like it did before.

"So, I should call him." Rory was building her confidence and was pacing her bedroom.

"Rip the band-aid. The sooner you figure out what it means, the sooner you can move forward or move on."

"Right. Okay. And Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"If Jess tells Luke, can you, uh, just let me know if he sounds happy about it?"

"Sometimes I wonder what kind of spell he cast over you ten years ago kid. Let me know how your call and how it goes with Jess. Either way, you should come visit soon and we can have a girl's day. Okay?"

"Count on Saturday. I'll fill you in on how it goes. Love you!"

* * *

Jess had come to New York to meet an author on Tuesday, he usually made these trips instead of Matt or Chris because he liked to check out his old haunts and read somewhere for a while like old times. Luke had told Jess that Rory had moved here last year but it still felt weird reaching out to her after their last interactions. It was a big city after all; he could be here every day and still never run into her.

Jess ate his words as he was walking through Washington Square Park and saw a familiar face sitting on his old bench reading. She didn't look up and he knew that he had a very small window of time to make his escape. But before his mind had caught up, he was sitting next to her. She still hadn't looked over yet, and knowing Rory, she might not unless given reason to.

"Huh, I though you hated the Beats." Jess gave his signature smirk and watched the cogs in Rory's mind turn for a moment before she dropped her book and then slowly looked over at Jess. He was somehow unchanged and yet completely new.

"Oh my god, Jess!" Rory lit up and hugged him quickly to both of their surprise. They held the hug a little too long for acquaintances, but maybe not long enough for friends.

"You're here, you're in New York! How did you find me? Why did y-, Wow. It's really nice to see you, Jess."

"I didn't mean to find you, I was just visiting my bench; I see you have been keeping it company for me?"

"Oh, yeah I've been borrowing it, it was one of the only places I knew when I moved here, and I can see why you liked it." Rory giggled awkwardly and absorbed the silence that followed for a millisecond before adding, "So, what's up?" Rory was squirming a little under the awkwardness that was giving her butterflies and making her want to puke.

"I'm just here for the day, to meet with an author. Hey, do you have to be anywhere? I have a few hours and I was coming here to read anyway. Coffee?" Jess' words were out before he could filter them and his hand was touching her arm. He expected that the next time he would see Rory Gilmore that he would be angry, or indifferent. He was wrong.

Rory nodded a little too quickly and they left the bench together heading out of the park. Neither of them knew that the next few hours would be a whirlwind of nostalgia and flirting and nervous kissing that led to previously unfulfilled fantasies.

* * *

"Hey, you called." Jess said into his phone Thursday night as he was leaving the office. Jess was relieved that Rory had made the first move because he had been trying and failing to call her over the last two days. He just kept thinking 'she won't want you to call' every time he got close.

"That's okay, right? Too weird?" Rory spilled nervous energy. Jess answered before she could anxiously hang up as she had been doing for the last hour.

"Definitely okay. So…"

"Right, so…"

"I'm nervous too Rory, let's regroup."

"Yeah, okay. Regroup. Well, I wanted to talk to you."

"Hence the call, which I'm glad you made."

"Right, uh, so we should have the talk."

"Good talk or bad talk?"

"I guess that depends on how you felt about the other day.."

"It was amazing, Rory."

"Yeah? Then I hope this is the good talk."

"I'd like that."

"Would you want to do it again?" Rory repeated her words from that night.

"I think I made my feelings clear on that particular question. Do you have something in mind?"

"Well, I guess I'm actually asking, well: What are you doing this weekend?" Jess smiled at Rory being so nervous and was surprised at being so calm about it. He did want to see her again. He knew that Rory wanted to know what that meant as the bigger picture, but for right now, Jess was just living in the freshness of being around her again.

"I have a Sunday totally free, how would you feel about heading my way?"

"Well, I'm actually going to Stars Hollow for the weekend; sorry I should have remembered that before I asked you. Um, do you have any days open next week?"

"Why don't I meet you in Stars Hollow? I would love to see the look on Luke's face if I showed up in the diner with you."

"Really? I thought you hated it there. It's okay Jess; we can wait a few more days."

"I don't hate it there, I visit Luke and Doula every once in a while."

"Meet you there then, I'm going Saturday, so let me know when you are headed down and we can meet?"

"I will. And Rory?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you called."

"Me too."

Stars Hollow with Rory Gilmore. Well, history tends to repeat itself.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want to see a new chapter this week (:


	2. Chapter 2

Rory spent Sunday wandering Stars Hollow, hopeful that the lack of call from Jess meant he was going to appear somewhere to surprise her. The afternoon faded with no sight or sound from Jess. Rory returned to her childhood home with book in hand, ready to sit on her couch and wait, when Lorelai walked down the stairs.

"Hey kid, ready for an assortment of the Stars Hollow dinner favorites? I want to feed you well before you have to leave." Lorelai gave pause to look Rory over for an enthusiasm that usually came at the mention of feasting. "You seem weird, did something happen in town? Did Kirk emotionally scar you somehow? I will avenge you."

Rory gave a weak smile and knew that her face was betraying her will to be nonchalant about Jess' no show.

"Food sounds good, I'm just going to take a quick shower, start ordering!" Rory pulled out her happy face and tried to leave it on for the rest of the night. She hadn't told anyone that she was expecting Jess, and she never reached out to him. All those nights of staying up waiting for a possible call, and talking herself down from disappointment when they inevitably wouldn't come was practice for this moment and yet she still felt unprepared. She would drive home tonight and forget that anything had ever transpired over the last week.

* * *

"Hey kidlet, I finally caught you! It's been a couple of weeks and I was wondering if you were planning on coming home for thanksgiving? Well, okay I'm really asking because Emily Gilmore has not heard from you about the upcoming holiday and is refusing my assurance in the matter, so if you could call her? Then I wouldn't have to hear about it every week."

"Mom, it's September. I'm assuming that I can come home, but I haven't been at my paper long enough to be assured the big holidays. Usually we underlings have to stick around when everyone else gets to be home with their families."

"Right, all very explicitly explained to your grandmother, but not by _you._ Please call her, I can't listen to the same conversation for two months." Lorelai put on her desperation voice and begged.

Rory was walking past Washington Square Park while talking to her mother, and had otherwise been ignorant of where her feet were taking her. But by intuition she jolted her head in the direction of her bench, of _his_ bench and halted.

"Rory?" Lorelai echoed a few times but she wasn't listening.

"Mom, I'll call you back. Leave grandma to me." Rory said quickly and hung up.

There was a familiar mop of hair sitting there, unaware of her standing a few feet behind. If she walked away, and pretended not to see, she could make the clean break that she had decided on the 'Sunday of Silence' (she secretly referred to it as such whenever she caught herself wanting to call him back). If she approached him, would she be able to handle the barrage of mixed emotions that Jess always came with?

Her feet did the decision-making and inched her closer. She stood behind him, silent for a moment. She wondered absently if he would be reading something she liked, or if he was here to see her. He had tried to call a few days after the Sunday of Silence but she ignored them, and all the subsequent texts and emails that stopped with her non-responsiveness.

"Hi" She said in a small voice and waited for him to turn around. He lifted his head from his book for a millisecond and then turned to her.

"Hey."

* * *

"Are we going to talk about it?"

Rory found herself in a shockingly similar position as she had almost a month before. How could she just give up the gun and waltz right back here? Again? He was asking this time.

"Maybe this is all we are, what's there to talk about?" She wasn't lying on his chest this time. She was lying a few inches next to him, staring at the same ceiling.

"Rory, I've been trying to talk to you for weeks. I only came today to try to talk to you." He turned on his side to face her, and she was putting on a mask of indifference.

"Jess, it's okay. I know you didn't come here for _this._ But I don't think I want the explanation." She moved to get up, awkwardly tucking a sheet around herself but Jess reached for her before she could go.

"Rory, I know I messed up by not coming to see you, but you can't just shut me out. If you didn't want to see me you could have ignored me today. I know you want more than this too."

She shot him a look he thought probably contended with that withering stare he had heard so much about.

"I'm the one that was trying the last time, remember? I'm not going to be the puppy that keeps chasing after you anymore." Rory shifted out of his grasp and shut herself in the bathroom.

Jess laid and considered the options he had. He would have to leave in a few hours and then he would likely be shut out again like he had been for weeks. Driving here to see her was a desperate act, and for a while it seemed that showing up resolved the issue. But it was quickly unraveling that there was too much hurt involved to start with and maybe they would be better off not getting trapped in this cycle again. However...

Jess got up, slid pants on and went to the bathroom door. He knocked gently before trying the knob. Rory opened the door an inch and her puffy face filled the gap.

"If I have to drive here and wait on that bench every day, I will. If I have to bribe someone to let me in the building to bring you take-out, I will. If I have to wait outside your office every morning to hand you coffee, I will. I will put in the work this time Rory, I will. I need you to let me." Jess was patient as he tried to read the silence. Rory was looking down, but not letting the door open or fall shut.

"Jess, you have a life and a job somewhere else, I'm not going to let you give that up. And I don't want you to. You should go." Rory didn't look up during her soft speech, but she closed the door and locked it. And then she just waited to hear the front door open and shut again; which it did not long after.


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks past and Rory kept up with her routine to ignore her Jess relapse. Wake up. Go to work. Stay an extra hour to avoid walking by the park. Walk home, headphones in and head down. Walk into apartment, order take out, stay in. Jess hadn't tried to reach out this time, and she knew he wouldn't just show up but she still avoided any moment of weakness.

When Jess walked out of her apartment, after she had pushed so hard, Rory remembered the night Jess showed up at Yale to ask her to run away with him. He had the tendency to pour himself out to her when she wasn't ready to accept. This time could have been different, but at the first hint of disappointment, Rory withdrew her hopes and tucked them away. There was a way that she acted around him that she had a hard time controlling, and the lack of control scared her and made her over-correct.

Rory managed to dive so headlong into work, that the time past effortlessly after the initial weeks of regret wore off. Unfortunately, with the autumn nights starting to feel crisp and colder, holidays approached. Dinners with Emily's questions and Mom's late night gossip sessions were synonymous with the end of the year. Lorelai knew little about Rory's last encounter with Jess, and she had been careful to not mention him since in any capacity. Rory had no idea if Jess had talked to Luke about any of it, and if he had, then she was being kept at bay from any questions. Time was coming to face the music.

* * *

Rory was rolling into Stars Hollow Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. She had to managed to pull a lot of favors to get time off during a holiday week, but still had to be back in the city early Friday for work. She had managed to keep her visit a complete surprise from Lorelai, with lots of apologizing that she couldn't make it home. Rory knew what it meant for her to be home, and Lorelai had been sad but accepted that Rory had to work. Hopefully the surprise will make up for the initial sadness. When did she start being the one to show up without expectations?

Rory parked on Peach St. and made sure her car wasn't seen by anyone that would find her mom first and spoil the secret. With a small backpack in hand, and a bag of snacks, Rory made the short trek to the Crap Shack. She could hear familiar voices as she walked the little path between theirs and Babette's houses. Without stopping to analyze whose they were, Rory rushed up the steps and knocked on the door. She had made the last minute decision that knocking makes a better spectacle. The door was pulled back quickly but the hands that did so did not belong to Lorelai.

"Oh, hi." Rory said, dropping the weight of enthusiasm for one of doubt.

Jess stepped back and opened the door for her to walk in, which she did carefully and without making any eyes towards him. He seemed calm and emotionless about the task at hand. Rory walked all the way into the kitchen without stopping to wait for Jess. She needed to see a friendlier face before she could really face him. Luke, Lorelai, Sookie, Jackson, and a small gaggle of children were standing around the kitchen table snacking on a spread that had the elegance of Sookie's dishes and the comfort food of Luke's. No one seemed to notice her until Jess passed by her and placed himself close to Luke.

"RORY!" Sookie yelled and sent Jackson's paper plate flying above their heads. Lorelai turned and rushed her into a hug that rivaled their airport hugs. For a blissful moment it was just the two of them and there was a returned comfort in the situation.

"You little sneak! You lied to your Mom! My own loin fruit! I'm so glad you lied because now you're HERE." Lorelai was all smiles and Luke came and gave them both a push towards the couch to sit and catch up with a little privacy.

"So," Rory started a little awkwardly, but still with a smile. She dropped her bags by the couch and sat cross-legged on the couch facing her mom. Her eyes lingered on Jess' back in the kitchen talking to Sookie and Jackson.

Lorelai caught the stare and followed it, then returned a look at her daughter.

"He showed up last night at the diner, I didn't think you were going to be home or I would have warned you that he would be around this week."

"Oh, no, it's okay. It's his family too, he should be able to come home for holidays. I should remember this in my future surprise schemes." Rory gave a smile and played down the avalanche of questions that was forming in her head.

"I'm glad you're here, kid. It's not the same without you." Lorelai and Rory sat and talked about her grandmother briefly and Rory's nerves settled until she caught a glance of him behind her mom's head every once in awhile.

Lorelai got up to get food, and Rory knew she should follow instead of sitting uncomfortably on her own couch. From the general ice box demeanor that was Jess, she expected no confrontation between them today. But, why did that seem to make her more sad than relieved? She fidgeted with the books in her backpack for a moment instead of looking around.

Jackson and Sookie seemed to be gathering their children and Rory made sure to meet them at the door for goodbyes and ask to help them carry any of the many platters stacked between them. Soon the house was just down to the four of them.

"Well, I'm glad you're here Rory, if you had to hear the little whine that your mom had started whenever someone mentioned you not being able to make it, you would be glad to see you too." Luke gave her a hug and walked back to the kitchen the put away dishes. Time to face the music.

Rory walked into the kitchen to see Luke and her Mom in the middle of a bit, and Jess putting food into plastic ziploc bags. He wasn't acknowledging her presence, and she felt like she was on the outside of a scene. Lorelai was periodically looking up and smiling at her during her playful banter with her husband. Jess gave small smiles whenever Luke seemed exasperated. Rory busied her hands with the coffee pot and it gave her an excuse to have her back turned towards the kitchen.

They spent the next hour like this, avoiding any interaction, but Rory found herself wanting it. She wanted to break the wall and fight. The other things rushing through her head she didn't know if they were nostalgia or hopeful. Lorelai filled the house with chatter and laughter and kept the tension manageable until Jess found an opportune moment to excuse himself back to the diner apartment. Luke made sure he left with a doggy bag and the intention of helping out with the diner in the morning and then Mariano was out of sight. Rory exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and felt relieved and sad all at once.

* * *

 **Get ready for the next chapter, lovely readers.**


	4. Chapter 4

Rory spent Wednesday flirting with the idea of walking right up to him in the diner and taking back everything she did to make him stay away. Seeing him yesterday had sent her mind into overdrive and it sent her into a frenzy of doubt. Instead, she was walking with her mom through the square, trying to hold off the moment until her mom would inevitably ask for coffee. Rory also knew she should explain the situation a little more to her mom, but Rory didn't know what she actually wanted anymore. More importantly, she had probably ruined any chance of Jess hearing her out after the way she shut him out. Despicable, that's how she felt when she thought about her behavior. She should have called him right away, but the longer she waited the harder it was to call, and then it became easier to pretend calling wasn't an option anymore.

"Rory, it's ten degrees out here and I can tell you don't want to see He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but if we aren't going to get coffee at Luke's, let's go inside somewhere, anywhere, please!" Lorelai was dramatically bundling herself up in her huge scarf and shaking. Her mom always saw through her.

"We can get coffee, Jess and I are fine." Rory said determinedly and nonchalantly.

"Uh, and the ice box between you? Is it fine too?"

"It's nothing, I'll figure it out. I don't want to keep avoiding it."

"Right, well, just let me know if I need to shield myself from the shrapnel." Lorelai hooked her arm through Rory's reassuringly and the pair made quick work of getting to the diner.

Tables were full of town folk holding over-sized mugs and leaning over half eaten breakfasts. There was no chance at an inconspicuous entrance, Luke and Jess were behind the counter and both looked up at the set of them. Lorelai claimed two counter stools and started taking off her coat while Rory followed a little more calculated and slow.

Jess stood his position behind the counter, a few feet away, absorbed in avoiding her stares. Better now than never, right? Right?

Lorelai got up and moved behind the counter to get herself coffee and enjoyed every bit of Luke yelling at her for it. Jess had raised his head to watch the scene and had caught Rory's stare. She pointed up towards the apartment and gave a pleading look. He gave a small nod and took the lead towards the stairs. Overcome with relief that this was easier than he could have made it, she now had to make it worth every second. She followed a few seconds later and found Jess sitting on the staircase halfway up. He didn't watch her walk up or sit next to him, he just waited silently.

"First, I have to completely apologize for the way I have treated you. I don't know if I was punishing myself for wanting you, or if I was punishing you for the past. Either way, it was an overreaction and it should have never happened this way." Rory paused to look and see if he was going to retaliate. He was at least looking at her now, although he was just as hard to read. Jess could always read her so easily, and it seemed unfair that it was not reciprocal.

"I'm sorry, I know I probably ruined everything beyond your forgiveness and you are just being nice and letting me blather on, when in your head you are probably just waiting for me to finish. I'll leave you alone, I shouldn't have bothered you with this." Rory had started talking to her lap because she couldn't look at him.

He hadn't made a peep during her digression, but presently he laid a hand on hers. She looked at it for a moment and realized that it was blurry because her eyes were brimming with tears. She blinked them away and wiped her cheeks with her other hand. He sat and held her hand and let her regain her composure. It took a moment for her to look back towards him, her face flushed and puffy the way it was when she asked him to leave.

"Rory, you shut me out for weeks. How can I be sure you won't do it the next time we fight?" Jess asked quietly. Rory shook her head and gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'm ready Jess. Please, let me try."

Jess gave a slow nod and digested the words for a little while longer. Before either of them could say any more, Luke had poked his head behind the curtain to yell for Jess. Upon seeing them on the step, Luke paused awkwardly and had stopped mid-"JESS" to point towards the diner for help. Jess nodded and looked quickly at Rory, for understanding. Then her dropped her hand and stood to descend the stairs.

"See you out there," he said and gave her a little look before passing through the curtain to the front.

Rory waited a beat before joining her mom in the diner. Lorelai had moved herself to a table and was talking to Patty at the table behind her. There was an extra coffee cup in front of an empty chair waiting for her. She saw Jess cleaning one table and Luke bringing out plates to another. Somehow this moment felt nostalgic and well-tread, but also like something completely new.

* * *

The day was still young when Lorelai and Rory left the diner. They had waved their goodbyes to the boys, but otherwise Rory and Jess didn't have much more time to talk. Rory briefly relived all the times she had slipped her mom a lame excuse to go meet Jess somewhere for a few minutes to get a moment alone. Those were some of her favorites. A handful of kisses and book exchanges and then back home to do endless homework. Circumstances seemed so different and somehow felt the same.

"So, you guys talked?" Lorelai said gently to see if Rory would divulge.

"Yeah" Rory said with a small nod. Something like a smile was giving away the nature of her previous conversation.

"Ah, so it was a _good_ talk."

* * *

 **Thank you all for your patience, this chapter originally was going to take a very different turn. Let me know in the comments if you think Rory and Jess are finally ready this time! Another chapter coming this week!**


	5. Chapter 5

It was Wednesday afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving and Rory was expecting Jess to be done helping Luke with the diner for the day. She was mindlessly picking up objects around her childhood room waiting for the next step. They would only have one more day of this Stars Hollow vacation-like bubble before they had to return back to reality. There was something about being here that brought up all the good and the bad and Rory felt like every step through her house was wading through mixed emotions of the past. But it was time to start from a clean slate. If this was going to work, she had to go in with full trust and give it all the chances that it deserved and never got before.

She couldn't just sit here and be passive either. Rory gathered herself a little and decided to make the trip to the diner to see Jess. Sitting and waiting was going to drive her crazy. So bundled and brazen, Rory crunched the fallen leaves quickly to see Jess. This thing they were mending felt too delicate to leave alone. With head focused down and mind occupied, Rory almost collided with the very man she intended to see in the square. Jess stopped her and brought her back to reality and they stood facing each other in the cold fading afternoon of late-November. They smiled at each other knowingly for a moment before Rory fell into his arms and squeezed.

"Rory?" Jess asked into her hair. She lifted her head to look at the tired eyes of the man in front of her. He still held her tightly as he addressed her.

Jess lifted one hand to her cheek and held it for a moment, running his thumb across her cold cheekbone, Rory leaned into it and closed her eyes.

"You meant what you said?" Jess asked, hoping for solid affirmation that the conversation they had in the stairwell was still valid.

Rory leaned up and kissed him softly and she felt him relax in response. She pulled back to see his smile and they lingered to soak up the moment. The pair embarked on their journey to escape the cold and to rebuild. With an arm around her shoulders, Jess steered them back to her house. They mounted the steps and found the house silent.

"Hot chocolate?" Rory asked, giving them an immediate destination that was not a bedroom.

"Can I have a coffee instead? I feel like we have a long night ahead of us and if I sit down for too long I'll be dead weight." Rory was already heading for the coffee pot and swirled the words 'long night' around her head.

"We should set some ground rules for tonight." Rory said while making herself cocoa.

"Mmm, First rule should be no sex." Jess said matter-of-fact and Rory spun around so fast to look at him that Jess snickered a little.

"Rory, we both know that part already works, we are trying to figure out all the other parts, right?"

"Right. Okay, second rule is," Rory pondered while she finished pouring Jess' coffee and set herself at the table across from him, "well, I can't think of a second rule. Let's just get started."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Where do we start?" Jess asked into his coffee cup.

"Well, what's the plan after Thanksgiving?" Rory asked furtively, now thinking she needed a pen and a legal pad to write notes.

"We are both worried about the distance and both being busy with work, right? If you're serious about this I think we should fast forward a little to moving in together. I know that sounds insane, but what do you think?"

"I told you I wouldn't let you leave your life in Philadelphia, Jess. You have too much to walk away from with Truncheon."

"Well, I don't want you to leave New York either."

"I'm just spinning my wheels at work right now anyway. I have been there for months and I'm still a glorified assistant. I want to write, and I can do that anywhere." Within one sentence Rory had actualized something she had never said before.

"Are you sure? I mean this doesn't have to happen right away, I just want us to have a end goal that's under the same roof." Jess said a little taken back by Rory's willingness to leave New York.

"Yes. I will need a few weeks to tie up everything with my apartment but I think this is exactly the push I need to take control of my writing." Rory was invigorated with a livelihood that Jess hadn't seen in her since her college fervor years ago.

"I didn't expect us to actually figure anything out that quickly." Jess said looking at Rory's untouched cocoa. "I say we take a movie break and celebrate." He stood up and reached out his hand for hers.

"Take out?" Rory said, standing now with her hand in his.

"Order your favorites, Gilmore. This is the first night of the rest of our lives." Jess gave her a kiss on the cheek and she felt overwhelmed by his enthusiasm for this. For _them._

"I like seeing you like this," Rory said enjoying watching someone else's energy match her own.

"Only for you, Rory Gilmore." Jess said with a sweet sincerity.

Jess led them to the living room and Rory grabbed the take out menus from the drawer on the way through. Jess busied himself with the vhs tapes on the shelf grabbing a few options. Rory called in and knew that a few places would be closed the night before Thanksgiving. She decided on pizza and also asked Luke to bring anything the diner was going to throw out tonight back home when he closed for the night. She was expecting them to stay up and enjoy this night as long as they could, and cold fries were a staple for that situation.

"Okay, there are classics that I know we love, then there are some interesting duds that are good for comedic value, and of course there's this." Jess said holding up Saturday Night Fever and wiggling his eyebrows. Rory bust up giggling and threw a pillow at the tape.

"Oh, you know you secretly loved it. You don't have to pretend." Jess laughed back defensively.

"If we start with Travolta I might not make it through the whole night, we'll designate him second. Deal?"

"And first?"

"Something we can break the first rule to." Rory said and Jess' mouth dropped.


	6. Chapter 6

"Loinfruit! Luke told me to run this food home for you because you had some big night planned!" Lorelai yelled from the doorway as she walked the takeout bags to the kitchen.

Only mere moments had passed since Rory and Jess decided to break their rules. They used Lorelai's abrupt entrance, and seeming obliviousness to the situation, to fix themselves and the couch back to presentable.

"Oh hey Mom! Jess is here we were just about to pick a movie!" Rory yelled from the living room trying to shake the sense of being a teenager caught in the act. Lorelai walked back into the living room with her head tilted and a bag of fries in one hand. She gave them both a slow look and Jess smirked slightly and gave Rory's story a run for its money.

"Uh-huh, Rory can you help me with the food for a sec?" Lorelai said conspiratorially and grabbed Rory by the crook of her arm. She caught the smile still on Jess' lips and knew all that had transpired from the way history was repeating itself.

When the two had reached the kitchen, Lorelai went into Mom Mode and gave Rory an awkward silence to sweat while she grabbed food from around the room.

"You know what you're doing?" Lorelai asked in a small but concerned voice.

"Yeah, I mean I think so." Rory was defensive but still aware of the turn of events that had led to this night.

"You know I'm all for it, if it makes you happy, kid. Maybe not on my couch, but otherwise I'm a fan of the idea." Lorelai reveled in her daughters exasperated blush and patted her on the arm as she walked back to the living room with all the junk food she could carry.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory were half-way through _Sabrina_ when Luke walked in, tired from a long day of prepping for thanksgiving and closing the diner. Jess was asleep, he had dozed shortly after the opening scene with his head on Rory's shoulder. Luke gave Lorelai a kiss and plopped himself on the lounge chair and looked like he was about to fall asleep himself. The table was littered with pizza and fries and candy. There was a sense of peace in being in a room with people she cared for so much.

Lorelai looked over at Jess and Rory and gave Rory a small nudge.

"So, what's the plan now? With you two?" She whispered nodding towards Jess. Luke was already snoring softly and Jess made no moves that he was going to wake up.

"I think I want to move." Rory said quietly.

"With Jess? Rory, isn't that sort of a drastic step considering that you two just got over fighting?" Lorelai tried not to interfere too much with Rory's love life because it was easy to overstep and fight over it.

"Yes. Very drastic." Rory looked down at Jess's waves falling over his eyes and felt the full weight of his head on her shoulders. She had the urge to run her fingers through his hair but also didn't want to disturb it. Lorelai watched and knew exactly the position her daughter was in. There are just some people in our lives that we love but we can't get the timing right. Sometimes you have to create a new situation instead of giving up.

"You should do it." Lorelai said confidently. Rory jerked her head to see if there was hidden sarcasm in her mom's face. She meant it.

"What?"

"If you want it to work, you have to go all in. Sometimes that is the only way." Lorelai looked at Luke and smiled a tired smile. She gave Rory a kiss on her cheek and went to wake Luke up and take him to bed. Within a few minutes Rory was left with just Jess by her side and Sabrina looking at Linus. She wanted to wake him up and walk him to bed, but she didn't want to give up this moment.

Jess shifted a little and looked up at Rory. His hair was still in his face but she could see his small crooked smile. He leaned up and planted a small kiss on her neck and then sat up. Rory just watched his tired limbs waking up again and felt like she wanted to be wrapped up in them.

"Bed?" She asked quietly and saw his small nod as he looked as if he was dozing off already.

"C'mon sleepy boy, let's see if we fit in a twin bed." Rory took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

Somehow this felt more intimate than what they almost got to on the couch before. She knew he should change out of his clothes instead of sleeping in jeans but she didn't know if she could do it without feeling inclined to get carried away. Jess rubbed his eyes and kissed her forehead and then bent down to untie his boots. He rose and stepped out of them and then started for his belt, but he paused and looked at Rory staring at his hands. She stopped when she noticed she had been caught and smiled shyly. She felt all the anxious energy that she used to when they were young. Jess smirked at her and kissed her chastely.

"Turn around Gilmore, you're making me nervous." Jess said with a smile and she relaxed and turned to grab an old shirt and shorts to sleep in from her drawers. She caught a peek of him in the vanity while she changed and tried not to smile at him also sneaking a peek. Jess climbed into the bed and covered himself before Rory turned around. Rory turned off her lamp and crawled in next to him. The bed was a tight fit for both of them and they had to hold onto each other to fit. Rory laid her head on his chest and he held her shoulder and ran his fingers in circles on the old cotton shirt.

She could feel that her cheek against his chest was overly sensitive to his movement and Rory tried to stop the flurry in her stomach that was going to keep this tired man from sleep for a little while longer.

"You can't sleep, can you?" Jess asked after a few minutes of Rory's nervous energy against him.

"Sorry." Rory said and tried to relax. Jess moved a hand to her hair and ran his fingers through it.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Jess asked, a little more awake and focused on Rory.

"My mind just is just racing, I'm kind of nervous." Rory said, looking up at him although they could barely see in the dark.

"Me too." He said, and then he turned so that they both lay on their sides facing each other. Her knees touched just above his and he had one hand in hers and the other was smoothing her hair behind her ears. He stroked her cheek and she felt the calm that it gave her and the effort he was making to relax her. Rory leaned in until their forehead touched, and then she found his lips and they kissed slowly and used the dark and their sleepiness as tool to explore each other slowly.

Jess moved his hand from her face slowly down to the dip in her waist and pulled her flush against him so their legs intertwined. Rory cradled Jess' fuzzy cheek in her palm and felt herself swaying her hips into him at the pace of their kissing. Rory pulled Jess' arm to roll him over her. At first they kept kissing and Jess hovered at a safe distance above her, Rory running her hands from his hair down his back and along his chest. She dipped his hips into her so that he was laying against her. Jess tried to let Rory control every move and she unlocked from his kiss and reached down to the hem of her own shirt and pulled it above her head. Jess swooped down to kiss from her neck down to her belly but let her decide if he was to go any further.

To answer his patience, Rory pulled Jess back up to her lips and started kissing his neck as she slid her hand down the front of his boxer briefs. The hitch in Jess' breath was satisfaction to her ears and she quickly discarded both her shorts and his. They were moving quickly and ferociously now, trying not to fall out of bed or make much noise.

* * *

Jess woke up when the sleepy November sun peeked through Rory's window. Rory was curled around him and her hair was spread like a curtain across her face. She had fallen right asleep after they had caught their breaths and he slipped under soon after. Her leg wrapped around him was smooth and pale in the morning sun. Jess tried to catalog every moment and hold onto it as he fell back asleep feeling Rory's chest rise and fall against his own and wished he could have this moment every morning.

* * *

 **What do you think guys? Will Jess and Rory be able to stay on course and make this work?**


	7. Chapter 7

It was Thanksgiving morning and Rory awoke sprawled across Jess in her childhood bedroom. Somehow she felt that her teenage self would have been horrified and also quite proud. She turned to see Jess awake and reading a paperback. He gave a pause, probably to finish a sentence, and then looked down at her and smiled a sleepy morning smile. He put the book on the side table and gave her his full attention.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked and brushed her hair back.

"I would love to wake up this way every day." Rory said and squeezed him a little tighter.

"I plan on it." Jess said and kissed her forehead.

* * *

Luke had been awake for hours prepping Thanksgiving for the diner. He left a sleeping Lorelei in bed and had expected to find a sleeping Jess in the apartment, but he must have stayed with Rory. The thought was unsettling and comforting at the same time. He didn't like to think of them like that. He also didn't like to think that he was not going to have any help with cooking Thanksgiving for dozens of people. They decided this year to close early and serve as more of a lunch and get out at 4, that way they could have dinner with Emily. Was Jess going to have dinner at Emily Gilmore's? That was going to be fun to watch.

* * *

Rory and Jess arrived at the diner for breakfast and Luke was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Jess led them to sit at the counter and waited for Luke to explode. The grin that Jess was hiding was getting harder to conceal when Luke spotted him finally.

"Hey, are you going to help or sit there like the Queen waiting on her tea? I need ten more hands and you are just sitting there smiling? Help or get out!" Luke was clearly exasperated and Jess was now not hiding his smile and gave Rory a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Calm down, we both came to help. Lorelei offered but I've seen her try to cook and I thought you didn't need more stress today." Jess said and grabbed the carafe to pour Rory a coffee.

"Oh, sorry. You know how I get on Thanksgiving. Hey if your mom comes and tries to help, kindly get rid of her too, okay? Now, get upstairs and use that oven while I finish with breakfast down here."

"Aye Aye Captain," Rory said and saluted Luke.

"Rory, you can cook, right?" Jess fake whispered as they went to the stairs.

"I HEARD THAT." Luke yelled from the kitchen and the pair giggled and fell into their high school fervor more deeply.

* * *

"I'm sorry, did you say that you are baking? Like Martha Stewart? Or, well Martha Stewart?" Lorelei chided her daughter on the phone.

"Martha sans Snoop. I'm covered in flour and strawberries." Rory said on speakerphone to her mother as she lined up pies to go in the oven.

"I don't want to know about your weird sex stuff! You know how to make pies and you've been holding out?"

Jess snickered and held his tongue as he watched Rory, a mess from battling the mixer and pleasantly disheveled.

"I barely know how to read a cookbook, hence the mess. What time are we supposed to be at grandma's? I'm going to have to sprint home to get ready before all the eating starts."

"I'll just bring you some outfits, are you that important to the cooking process? Jess told me there wasn't much to do." Rory looked at Jess and saw him trying harder not to laugh.

"Bring me something stretchy and comfortable, I'm baking an extra pie just for us." Rory said conspiratorially to her mother and said goodbye.

"Do we have much left to do? I'm going to check in on Luke to see if he needs my help still." Rory said trying to pick strawberry seeds off her shirt.

"Go hop in the shower, I'll take over. Have you eaten anything yet today?" Jess said resuming an affectionate and worried manner.

"I am fasting for the big event, Thanksgiving is serious business to a Gilmore." Rory said and ran towards Jess' bathroom.

* * *

"Rory!" Lorelei called as she walked into the apartment and found Jess at the stove.

"She's in the shower, she was starting to stick to the counters." Jess said with a smile over his shoulder.

"Oh man, I was hoping to see my little Betty Crocker in action. Don't you need to get cleaned up? You have a rematch with Emily tonight." Lorelei said in mock seriousness. Jess dropped the spoon he was holding and started to unravel a little. The sight of the cool exterior cracking that Jess was so good at made Lorelei more happy than she would have expected.

"Emily? I-I wasn't invited, I didn't know I was going." Jess sputtered a little and tried to regain his cool.

"Of course you're invited. You're part of the family. Give these to Rory? And don't run into any swans before dinner!" Lorelei cackled as she ran downstairs.

Jess tried to prepare himself for what today was going to turn into. Ten years should be a long enough time to make a better impression on someone, right? Oh damn.

* * *

Rory was in the apartment bathroom trying to do frantic math on her fingers.

"No no no no no no no" She whispered under her breath and went to check her phone with dripping fingertips. No, she hadn't gotten one in October, and she was late for November. It couldn't have just happened, it would have had to be from September when they fought. This whole time? How could she not have noticed? A sudden sort of calm washed over Rory. If she told Jess, he wouldn't run would he? They were going forward with moving in together, they were going to make it work regardless. But they had never talked about this before. This was too big.

"Jess! Can you come here for a minute?" Rory said from a crack in the bathroom door. She was wrapped in a towel and was still dripping water from her hair. Jess' head was tilted in question and a smile played on his mouth as he walked over to her carrying a bundle of clothes.

"You okay? Your mom just left. Hey, I didn't know I was seeing your grandmother tonight? Any chance of me getting out of that?" He said casually.

Rory flustered herself for a moment and was fraught with sudden terror at telling him. Her throat felt tight and she realized her pregnant pause. Oh god. Pregnant. She couldn't tell him yet.

"Rory? You look faint. I should have made you eat breakfast, you should lay down for a little while, we have time. I was just kidding about your grandmother, I'll go." Jess was leading her out of the bathroom and on to his old bed. She looked him in the eyes as he knelt next to the bed and looked up at her.

"I have to tell you something," Rory started to say as they were interrupted by Luke rushing in.

"Oh, sorry Rory," Luke said and guarded his eyes with a hand, "I just wanted to see if you both wanted to eat downstairs with Lorelei and me before it gets crazy."

"We'll be right down, Luke." Rory said trying to sound cheerful and ignoring the lump in her throat.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you alright? What did you want to tell me?" Jess said renewing his attention from Luke to Rory.

"Oh, it's nothing. Are you feeling up to regaining your title belt against the great Emily Gilmore?" Rory asked with mock seriousness. She decided not to tell him tonight. This was already an emotional day and maybe it would be too much to handle before dinner.

"Oh ha ha." Jess said sarcastically. "I am just going to keep my head down and hold my tongue. From what I've heard, Lorelei can antagonize her enough for the rest of us. I'd like to sit and enjoy the show." Jess had a grin that brought Rory out of her own head space.

"I'm going to get ready and then I'll meet you downstairs?" Rory asked quietly.

Jess gave her a kiss on the cheek and started bringing dishes downstairs.

* * *

Surrounded by her town favorites and reenacting a thanksgiving scene from a lifetime ago, Rory and Jess sat with Luke and Lorelei and ate their first Thanksgiving of the night.

"We are definitely a weird little family aren't we?" Lorelei said over her second helping of mashed potatoes. Luke gave her a sweet quiet smile and looked at his most content. Rory looked to Jess and wondered if they would be here together like this every year. Jess looked so peaceful even while he feigned disgust at the mushy moment. The quartet ate rather quietly and listened to the stories of neighbors around them. Luke started to clean up and Jess followed suit in clearing tables so that they could leave soon. Lorelei kicked Rory under the table.

"What's wrong with you?" She whispered behind a roll to Rory.

Rory's eyes widened in small panic but she adjusted and shrugged towards her mom.

"Why? Nothing's wrong."

"You barely ate and you didn't say anything at dinner. Did you guys have a fight? I'll kill him if he.."

"I'm fine, we didn't fight. Jess and I are good. I'm just saving my energy for grandma's." Rory lied through her teeth and hoped her mom would drop the investigation.

Lorelei sighed at the mention of her mother. She redirected her gaze back to Rory.

"After dinner you get to tell me what's really going on, okay?" Lorelei said gently and Rory nodded knowing she was caught.

* * *

At Emily's, Luke and Jess did their best impressions of statues and Lorelei fell into maintaining the conversation out of discomfort of the silence. Emily did her best to engage Rory in information of her life and Rory answered everything politely but without enthusiasm. She was altogether not present in the moment and it was wearing on Emily to carry on the one-sided conversation. She turned her attack on Jess, who was trying his best to stay invisible.

"Well Jess, you have certainly grown up. Rory told me you wrote a book a few years ago. Are you still pursuing the life of a vagabond author? That's hardly how a man should be living at your age" Jess choked a little on a mini carrot and Luke held back his chuckle as best he could.

"I have written two more novels Mrs. Gilmore, but I primarily run a publishing company with a few friends of mine." Jess tried to stand his ground and Rory gave his hand a squeeze under the table for encouragement.

"Well, I would like to read these novels you have written." Emily said with less malice and something resembling a smile. Lorelei looked beyond shocked at the lack of formal attack on her mother's part. She almost opened her mouth to strengthen her mother's armory against Jess but then she remembered that she liked the guy. More importantly, Rory really liked the guy. Emily was letting him off easy, for Rory.

* * *

Lorelei made an excuse to drive Rory home and made Luke ride with Jess back to Stars Hollow after dinner. Rory kept her panic internal and agreed without a fight. She gave Jess a small kiss and said she would meet him back at the house instead of the apartment. Lorelei hurried them along into her Jeep and once the doors were shut, she looked at Rory expectantly. Rory sighed and knew she wouldn't be able to lie her way home.

"So, spill it shortcakes." Lorelei said starting the drive home.

"Well, my period is really late and.."

"YOU"RE PREGNANT?" Lorelei said stopping the Jeep abruptly in the middle of the road.

"I-I don't know definitely yet." Rory said into her lap and Lorelei resumed function and started driving slowly. Her jaw hung slack as she bumbled her next question.

"Whose is it? It's too soon for it to be Jess' wouldn't it? Other than the first time, but that was months ago, you would have known by now. Right?"

"There may have been a time between then and now that I didn't mention." Rory said quietly. "It could only be his, I didn't see anyone else."

"Would have time you didn't mention happen to be the reason why you two were fighting?" Lorelei asked trying to maintain a helpful demeanor instead of a stressful one.

"I made him leave. I was definitely punishing him for past hurt and he didn't deserve that from me. I haven't told him yet. I don't want to scare him off. We just decided to get serious and date again."

"Well, nothing is more serious than a kid. You have to tell him, maybe not today but soon. Don't push him out of this, he wouldn't run. Rory, that boy has been in love with you for a decade. I think he learned to stop running a long time ago, don't you?" Lorelei surprised herself by how much she was defending Jess tonight. She could see how terrified her daughter was and knew exactly how she felt.

"You know, you don't have to keep it, but you should still tell Jess." Lorelei whispered as they were entering town.

"I want to keep it." Rory said quickly. More to herself than to her mom. Lorelei smiled to herself and nodded. She knew Rory would. They were starting to get close to the house and Rory started tensing up. She was going to have to leave tonight to get back for work in the city and it felt like the worst time to leave. Lorelei gave Rory's shoulder a squeeze and a smile.

"If you need anything Rory, please ask. You aren't alone in this." Rory tried hard to bottle up the tears that laid waiting to spring forward. Mother and daughter shared a smile and looked at the house in front of them with their boys inside.

* * *

"How long are you staying in Stars Hollow? I have to be back to work in the morning." Rory said to Jess as the sat together on the couch. She tried to relax and enjoy him but she was a tornado inside.

"Oh, I should have left an hour ago but I wanted to make sure we had our plan ready before I had to leave." Jess smiled but still looked nervous.

"I need to put in my notice at work and get my apartment cleaned out, so I have a few weeks I still need to be in New York." Rory was focusing on details and avoiding the elephant in her stomach.

"I can visit a few times and start moving your things into my place. You don't seem as excited about this as before. Are you having second thoughts?" Jess was starting to get frustrated but kept his tone concerned instead of upset.

"Jess, before we move in together I have to tell you something." Rory let the pause sit longer than it should and Jess' mind was racing with terrible what-ifs. He stayed silent and waited as he saw her getting cagey.

Rory looked at Jess and her throat felt tighten and she knew she was going to start crying. Jess' brow started to grow tense and he thought the worst. She could see his jaw clenched and his patience wearing but she couldn't get the words out.

"Jess, I'm. Well, I'm pretty sure that I am. Uh, Jess, I am pregnant." Rory mumbled as nervously as she could. She wouldn't look at him, she kept her eyes on her hands. Jess reached a hand over to tilt her chin towards him. She cast blurry eyes towards him and saw that he looked inquisitive and worried. But he didn't look angry, and he didn't look scared.

"Are you okay? Is this why you've been weird all day?" Jess asked quietly and she nodded into his outstretched hand.

"I think you should call your office tomorrow and let them know you got sick over the holidays and you need a few days at home." He said brushing tears off her cheeks.

"I shouldn't stay here all week, I need to start cleaning out my apartment and they wouldn't believe I was sick anyway."

"I think you should come home with me, if that's what you still want." Jess said with a shred of doubt in Rory's plan for how he equated in this new situation.

"You still want to do this?" Rory said trying not to leak more tears.

"I can't let you do this alone, even though it's not mine. I want to help as much as you'll let me."

"Of course it's yours!" Rory practically spat out and remembered that they weren't alone in the house. Jess' face sat in shock and then he swallowed Rory up into a full hug and held her to his chest.

Rory released the tense in her shoulders that she had been holding all day and melted into Jess and he held her tighter than he ever had. His shoulders started jiggling and she didn't know if he was laughing or crying. Rory was running through his response in her head. He was going to take her, even if she was pregnant with someone else's kid. How did she deserve his affection after everything?

"I'm going to be a dad." Jess whispered to himself and unwound Rory so that he could kiss her.


	9. Chapter 9

Rory woke up alone in a bed that was unfamiliar to her. The morning sun was leaking through mini blinds onto the cream cotton sheets tousled around her. The bed around her was still warm but she didn't feel Jess next to her. Rory rolled herself to face the rest of the little bedroom, with little racing stripes of morning on the wooden floorboards. Still there wasn't a Jess around. Rory let the cogs turn in her head for a few moments before attempting to get out of bed and splash water on her face. She remembered sending a hasty email last night on the drive here. If she hadn't planned on leaving her job already, her choice in not showing up at work today may have solidified the event. Jess drove her here which meant her car was in Stars Hollow still. Hormones and good news really was not her best mode of decision making. She was happy to be here in his apartment instead of at work today. After the week they had, a weekend together to unwind might be the best thing for her. For _them._ Rory gave notice that her hand had been circling her belly as she was preparing her mind for the day. She was responsible for a little human now. She should probably go to a doctor soon and get a check up, and definitely consider eating more food groups than her mother taught her to live on.

Jess opened the bedroom door slowly and quietly expecting to see a sleeping Rory. He smiled when he saw her morning hair tossed across his pillow and her sleepy eyes smiling back at him.

He had two steaming styrofoam cups and a little paper bag in his hands and he handed one to Rory as she sat up in bed.

"I never you to be an early riser" Rory said peeking into the paper bag.

"Early bird gets the fresh coffee." He said looking her over as the sunlight started to come in with more courage through the blinds.

"Oh, I don't think I should. Right?" She said starting to get a little disappointment in her brow.

"I think you should, it's decaf." Rory held the coffee at a disgusted distance.

"Uck" Rory made a face that made Jess chuckle a little.

"I knew I should have lied about that." He handed her a bear claw and removed the despicable beverage from her hand and set it on his desk.

He took out his own bagel and they sat together on his bed silently ravenous for a moment.

"I think I should make a doctors appointment soon, just to make sure everything is normal." Rory said.

"Are you worried about anything?" Jess said keeping concern out of his voice. Inside he was screaming _I want to come_ but he was letting Rory steer the boat.

"I'm worried about everything." Rory said quietly looking at her little stomach. Jess pulled her into him and tamed her thick brown locks.

"You read too much." He said and she smiled into his warmth.

"Are you the pot or the kettle?" She said raising her head to meet his. He kissed her and the taste of coffee on his lips made her hungry for it. She broke the kiss while smiling and thanked him for the caffeine.

"A book thief and a coffee fiend. Our kid has no chance at an honest life." Jess chided her and they both ruminated in thinking about _their_ kid.

* * *

Rory had relocated to Jess' couch and had at least another hour until Jess was going to be back. He got an early start working so that they could have the whole night free. She called around a few OB-GYN offices to see if any had openings and had a streak of luck on her third call when she was ready to give up the search. She had been harassing the hospital in Hartford to fax over her medical records as nicely as she could and overwhelmed everyone she was passed off to by talking ceaselessly in her stern voice. Rory was in business mode and was conquering more than she had expected. She had secured an appointment for next week and was still soaring from her victory when Jess called and asked if she needed anything while he was on his way back. He was a little surprised by her requests but took it in stride as normal Gilmore behavior.

Jess entered the apartment with two grocery bags in hand and Rory got up to meet him at the door and relieve him of a bag.

"I can safely say that was the most intense scavenger hunt I've ever been on. Also, I got like ten tests. For science, of course."

"Jess, there is no human capable of providing enough pee for ten tests in one night." Rory said and started pilfering through the bags for the candy.

"The woman out the checkout saw all the junk food and pregnancy tests and recommended these for you," Jess said as he held up prenatal vitamins.

Rory was arm deep into a bag of chips already and Jess had to shake the bottle to get her attention.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how hungry I was." She said and brushed some chip crumbs from her shirt and Jess looked at her endearingly. They spread their bounty on the coffee table and Rory held a few of the pink boxes and looked at them quietly for a while in her lap.

"You don't have to take them right now, let's put some tv on and veg." Jess said trying to read Rory's face.

"What if it's negative, Jess?" Rory whispered, and Jess burrowed his gaze into her until she turned to look at him. Rory was beating herself up for letting them get so carried away before seeing a doctor or getting proof. Everything in her body was telling her that she was pregnant, but now she was derailing his life in a matter of a week without that little plus sign on a white stick.

"We focus on us for awhile and maybe down the line we try again, if that's what you want." Jess said, leaving the reigns in her hands but inflecting his own wants. This whirlwind day thinking about being a dad was opening boxes in his own mind about Jimmy and Rory's dad and how important it seemed to correct the course and being the dad that stays and that loves it. And most importantly, he wanted it. He wanted to raise a little Rory or Jess to love loud music and good movies and influence them that Hemingway was much better than their mom had told them. The fantasy never seemed like more than anything else until yesterday. God, this all made him itch for a cigarette that wouldn't be in his pocket.

Rory wiped her eyes a little and nodded.

'I'm going to take one, and bring it back out here and we'll look together." Rory said with resolve and moved to lead herself into the bathroom.

Jess took her hand and pulled her down for a kiss.

"I love you, Rory Gilmore."


End file.
